The Lights We Burn (tfp Knockout/Breakdown X mech!reader)[on Hold]

10: Blindsided

Darkness was all that encompassed my vision as energon leaked from where M.E.C.H removed my optic. My throat pipes were scratchy and sore from screaming, and everything hurt. I was exhausted.

"Take a break." Silas said to the workers that were currently rummaging around my insides. "He's not going anywhere." I heard their footsteps tap as they walked away, leaving me almost entirely alone. I wiggled my wrists at the restraints, testing to see if I could slip out of them. And I could, but I would have to break a few digits to do so.

I gritted my denta together as I yanked my servo through the restraint as hard as I could, snapping my thumb and little digit in the process.

"Frag." I hissed in pain. I pushed through the pain and closed my open chassis, no doubt sealing some of the humans equipment inside. But it didn't matter.

I then reached for my other restraint and hooked my 3 unbroken digits under the loop, pulling as hard as I could. I managed to snap it free after quite a bit of struggle, and now came the hard part of freeing my pedes. I sat up and grabbed at the restraints with my free servo, the sound alerting some of the humans.

"Hey!" One of them barked. A shock of electricity coursed through me, and a shriek of pain left my voicebox, the shriek crackling and fizziling to a whirring noise as it completely fried. I flopped back with a clang, the sound echoing through the underground bunker.

"I wouldn't try escaping if I were you." Silas said as he approached my helm. "You just received enough electricity to power a small city."I tried to speak, but only static came out, Silas chuckling darkly. "Shame, you fried your voicebox, I guess even Cybertronians have a breaking point." I glared in the direction of Silas, and using the last bit of energy I had left, I tugged my legs as hard as I could against the restraints. Even more electricity poured into me, searing my circuits and causing my spark to race irradicaly in my chassis.

But I was not about to give in.

To the shock and horror of Silas, I managed to break the restraints at my pedes, my form stumbling to a stand and blindly running down the bunker tunnel.

"He's getting away!" Silas barked. "After him!"

I kept running and running, my good servo running along the wall to guide me along a straight path until I ran into something big and bulky, the collision sending me to my aft.

I let a fearful beeping noise as I aimed my rifle in the direction of the thing I collided into.

"Whoa, whoa easy, it's me." Breakdown's voice said. I tried to speak but could only form a raspy static. He knelt down next to me and gently cupped my face. "Primus... what did they do to you?"

"Hurt." I managed to warble coherently.

"The humans got you good, huh? Don't worry, I'll get you out of here and to Knockout."

"There!" I heard one of the humans shout, Breakdown scooping me up and carrying me out of the bunker. I clung to the Wrecker as best as I could, fear cluching me as I hid my face away in his broad chassis.

"Breakdown to Nemesis." The ex Wrecker called over the comlink. "Need an emergency bridge! Now!" Again, I tried to speak to the ex Wrecker, but only static and a faint whirr left me.

"Hang in there shortstop." He said. "Don't try to talk too much."

"Cold." Was the only thing I managed to clearly whisper before completely passing out in his arms.

----
"Breakdown! What in Primus happened?" Megatron barked as the Wrecker came through with my barely alive frame. Megatron's expression changed from wrath to horror at the damage to my frame and the weak little vents he could barely hear.

"He's in critical condition." Breakdown said.

"Get him to Knockout. Now!" Breakdown didn't need to be told twice as he ran to the med bay, Knockout practically jumping in shock at my condition.

"He's hurt bad, Knockout." Breakdown said as he hurriedly hooked me up to spark and vent support. Once Breakdown got me stabilized and hooked up to multiple monitors, he plunked down with his helm in his servos and guilt in his optics.

"What happened?" Knockout asked as he ran diagnostics on me and inspected my wounds.

"That energon signal was a trap set out by humans." Breakdown said as Megatron quietly entered and listened in.

"Humans?" Knockout asked.

"Yeah. They called themselves M.E.C.H. or something. Nasty group of humans who want to 'advance their kind' or some scrap."

"How'd they get the drop on you?"

"Y/D and I weren't the only ones to pick up the signal." Breakdown said. "Bulkhead was there too. We took him down pretty quick, and as I was about to send that stupid overgrown olive to the Allspark, that's when the humans got me."

"Did they use the EMP on Y/D?" Breakdown shook his helm and narrowed his optic ridges.

"Y/D surrendered himself because they threatened to kill me. Don't know why he would do that."

"My son is a lot like his carrier." Megatron said. "Reckless, stubborn, and far too kind for his own good."

"But what did M.E.C.H want with him?" Knockout asked.

"From what I understand, they wanted to get their hands on Cybertronian biology. What for I have no clue." Breakdown looked over to me, and his expression saddened at the sight. "Can't believe squishies did that to him."

"And it wouldn't have happened had you not allowed it!" Megatron snapped. Breakdown shrunk back at his wrath with fear. "You're lucky my son sees value in you Breakdown. Otherwise, I would scrap you myself!" Megatron looked over to Knockout with a scowl that could freeze the energon of Primus himself. "Will he recover?"

"The damage is significant." Knockout said. "His spark chamber was damaged from what appears to be high voltage electricity, and he's now completely blind. There appears to also be severe damage to his vocal components, which I can somewhat repair. He won't be able to speak much, but it will allow him to do so if he must."

"Can you repair his ability to see?"

"I can provide a way for him to adapt to being sightless by increasing his audial sensitivity." Knockout said. "I will also do my best to repair the damage to his spark chamber as well. He'll be weaker than before in terms of combat, but as long as he doesn't overdo it for a while, he should be able to regain the strength needed to be battle ready again."

"Do what you must Knockout, and I expect you to not fail me. Am I clear?" Megatron snarled angrily.

"Yes, my liege."

"Good. I already have 2 failures on this ship, I do not need a 3rd." Once Megatron left Breakdown looked over to Knockout with a strange expression.

"What's wrong?" Knockout asked.

"I... I'm just worried about him." Breakdown said.

"Yeah, me too. But we can only do our best for him, okay?"

"Okay."